WASHINGTON, DC – January 23, 2012 - The Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) was invited to participate in the University Seminars, courtesy of University of Maryland, at the Horse World Expo on January 20th in Timonium, Maryland. Ericka Caslin, UHC Director, gave an informative presentation about the UHC and unwanted horses to a group of Expo attendees.

The presentation, titled Unwanted Horses: The Issues and the Solutions, focused on responsible ownership and the options horse owners have when faced with the difficult decision of finding their horse a new home. Caslin said, “Many horse owners are not informed about the help that is available to them. The UHC helps owners understand their options, from donation to therapeutic riding programs, to horse owner assistance and grant programs.” Caslin gave the attendees information about the UHC’s Operation Gelding Program, as well as other similar programs offered by organizations throughout the industry. Caslin also reported the findings of the UHC’s 2009 Unwanted Horses Survey, which details the scope of the problem, the causes, and possible solutions.

Each attendee was given a copy of UHC’s brochure, The Problem of the Unwanted Horse: Own Responsibly and information about how to find additional materials on the UHC website, free of charge.

“It is extremely important to make sure that each horse owner has the knowledge of responsible horse ownership. In order to help our nation’s unwanted horses, we need to make sure we provide the tools and information to horse owners about their options,” said Caslin.

For information about the UHC or to request a speaker for your event, please contact Ericka Caslin at ecaslin@horsecouncil.org or 202-2964031. For information about horse owner assistance programs and facilities that accept horses, please visit www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org

The Unwanted Horse Coalition

The mission of the Unwanted Horse Coalition is to reduce the number of unwanted horses and improve their welfare through education and the efforts of organizations committed to the health, safety and responsible care and disposition of these horses. The UHC grew out of the Unwanted Horse Summit, which was organized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and held in conjunction with the American Horse Council’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in April 2005. The summit was held to bring key stakeholders together to start a dialogue on the unwanted horse in America. Its purpose was to develop consensus on the most effective way to work together to address the issue. In June 2006, the UHC was folded into the AHC and now operates under its auspices.